With Harry…

"Regulus, platz." As I patted the ground, the jet-black German Shepherd cocked his head to the side. "Platz…" He whimpered but finally laid down. "Good boy, Reggie, good boy!" Potter cooed as he tossed the pup a biscuit.

"So, Potter, why are you training your dog in German?"

"I don't want to say bite randomly, and then he immediately goes and latches onto someone." I said as Abi rolled her eyes while brushing down her Gordon Setter, who loved every second of it.

"We've had them a week and you've already taught him how much?"

"More than Lacy there's learned."

"Oi! Don't insult her." Abi glared at me, but I just smirked lightly.

"Wasn't her I was insulting. I'd never insult a puppy."

"Oi!"

"What? You're the one who chose the tracker."

"Well I'm sorry that you snatched up the only Alsation."

"True. But you could have been Hanks and thought the pug was a bulldog."

"Ain't that the truth." Abi chuckled. "Wonder how often that happens?"

"In the heat of the moment? Probably pretty often, actually," I said, scratching Reggie's ears. The puppy's tongue was lolling out as his tail wagged wildly. "Who's a good boy, Reggie? You are, yes you are."

"You love that dog more than most people."

"Dogs will never betray you."

"True enough," Abi said as she started braiding her hair. "So… What's your story? How'd you end up here?"

"Not much of a story, honestly. I went to a boarding school in Scotland, my mates all moved away or we grew apart, and I joined the Marines after a rather horrid incident. I moved through the ranks fast enough that I gained someone's attention. But this? I thought Merlin was MI5 when he approached me, honestly. I had no idea this existed."

"That's kind of the point of a secret service, Harry."

"Tell that to MI6, the CIA, or even the FSB." I chuckled as Regulus jumped up on the bed, clambered into my lap, and curled up like a bloody cat. I sighed but pushed my hand through the fur on his back anyway.

"The FSB?"

"It's the new name for the KGB. When the Soviet Union went tits up, Russia needed a new Intelligence service."

"Ah. You think they'll teach us about that?"

"I'm not sure. They're throwing a ton of shite at us anyway, so I wouldn't say no."

"We should have a test coming up. The last real test we had was our first run in full kit."

"Reggie loved that test." I chuckled as I scratched the puppy in question behind the ears.

"He's an Alsatian, of course he loved the running test."

"Lacy there was doing pretty well too."

"Not me, though. Bloody Hell but I hate running."

"I can understand that. Just imagine how the poor pug felt."

"The poor bastard. Hanks was a good ten minutes behind the average time and that was after he picked up the pup."

"And that's why he failed. He went against orders."

"He could have put it in his plate carrier."

"No, he should have put him in the plate carrier. The poor thing was exhausted by the time he was done even with him carrying it the final leg."

"Right… Where are the others?"

"The gym, I think. There or the yard."

"Speaking of, why aren't you in the yard?"

"Reggie focuses better down here. Isn't that right, bud?" Reggie sneezed as he looked back up at me and decided he'd had enough of lying down. He put his paws on my shoulders and licked my forehead three times before I managed to get him off. "Reggie!"

"Right, sure he does." Abi chuckled. I was about to say something else before I was interrupted by:

"Attention Gawain candidates. Please report to drawing room three with your puppy at three o'clock. Thank you." Merlin's voice as it came over the speakers. Frowning, I flipped my wrist over to check my watch.

"We have fifteen minutes." I sighed as I looked over at Abi. I managed to get the dog in my lap to the floor and stood up. I looked down at the Shepherd and grabbed his leash as Abi attached hers to Lacy's collar.

"Then we better get moving." Abi said.

"Regulus; sit." I snapped my fingers, pressing them together and making sure the dog was watching them. Regulus sat down immediately. "Good boy, Reg, good boy." I said as I knelt down and latched the leash to the dog's collar. "Let's go, Abi."

"Come on, Lacy." Abi said as the two of us made our way to the door. I opened the door and snapped my fingers again, making eye contact with the pup. Regulus sat down instantly as Lacy and Abi walked through the door.

"Fuss." I grinned and Regulus shot to his feet then fell in at my side as the two of us fell in at Abi's side.

"Potter, good afternoon. This is a simple test to see how much and how well you've trained your puppy this last week." Merlin said as Regulus and I stepped into the room. "Your weapons and physical scores so far are excellent, as expected of anyone who's made it through the Commando program, but your test scores (while not horrible) are at the bottom of the barrel - also as expected. Let's see where you land after this." Merlin said. I grinned as I let Regulus off his leash. "Very good then. You're to give him every command you've taught him so far."

"Right." I nodded as I looked down at my pup. "Regulus, sitz. Platz." The dog sat and laid down immediately. "Good boy. Steh." He shot to his feet with his tail wagging behind him furiously. "You're doing such a good job, buddy, good boy. Bleib." I said and took ten steps away from the dog who was wagging his tail so hard his entire body was wagging. "Hier." Regulus took off like a shot, putting himself between Harry's legs and looking up at him with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "Fuss." The pup moved from his place between my legs to beside my knee. "Gib laut?" The dog gave a single, happy bark as I looked back up at Merlin.

"Anything else?"

"Gib laut." Regulus instantly started barking even louder. "Ruhig." And the barking stopped immediately.

"Very good. Have you taught him to bite yet?"

"No, we're still working on the basics."

"Alright. Well, I must say I'm impressed you've managed to teach him this much so quickly. Most of them barely know how to sit and stay."

"They're puppies, they'll learn."

"Well, we'll see about that," Merlin said as he scratched something out on his clipboard. "What do you want him to be able to do?"

"Search for bombs and narcotics, track, pursue, and attack on my command. Maybe even be able to flush out a hideout all under the guise of a service dog."

"Ah, a multipurpose role then. You picked the right dog for that, indeed."

"The lab would have been a good choice too."

"Labs are hyperactive idiots." Merlin chuckled. "I managed to get one in my own training and the work it took to train him to sit still alone was incredible. And he's a big lab at that."

"So far Reggie's taking to training pretty well."

"Aye, he is. Whittaker may have an issue though."

"The mastiff?"

"It's a bullmastiff. They're excellent guard and chase dogs but his is hard headed, wants to bloody sleep more than anything else."

"Of course. I almost feel bad for him. Almost."

"Hah, aye. Alright, Potter, that was all I needed to see. You're free to go."

"Thanks, Merlin," I said as I reattached Regulus to his leash. "Come on, Reggie, let's go to the yard. I think I still have that frisbee." Regulus yipped happily as I asked him to heel. Merlin just shook his head as I left the room with my dog at my side.

"Schnell! Lauf, lauf! Packen! Good, Reggy! Yes! Bring!" I barked as the now six-month-old, sixty-pound puppy latched onto the straw target and tore the hoop off its arm. He ran back to me with the ring firmly between his teeth. "Aus." The pup dropped the ring and wagged his tail happily as Harry grinned at the pup. "Good boy! Yes you are, Reggie, yes you are. Here you go." I grinned as I dipped my fingers into a pouch attached to my belt and pulled out a biscuit. Reggie immediately dropped to his haunches; his eyes focused on the treat in my hand. "Fassen." I grinned, tossing the treat into the air. Regulus leapt after it, snagging the treat out of the air and landed gracefully on all fours. I knelt down as Regulus pressed his head to my chest. I laughed as Regulus licked his face and then flopped over on his back, waving his legs in the air as he begged for a belly rub.

"Impressive!" Merlin called out as he tapped his pad again. "He's leagues above where he was when I tested him."

"That was two months ago, Merlin. And it hasn't been easy."

"No, I've made sure of that. How do you find the time to train him?"

"I work with him in the yard during free time. Everyone else just uses the hour you've given us for dog training."

"But you get two hours of training in a day?"

"No, every second me and him are together are training opportunities."

"That's all day, everyday."

"Exactly."

"You're teaching him hand signals?"

"Aye."

"Wise. Let's see them, then." I grinned and held up my hand, one finger pointed toward the sky as Regulus immediately dropped to his haunches. Next, I stretched out my arm, the dog shot to his feet and trotted over to where I was pointing. Then he laid down as I held my palm flat. When I turned my hand over and curled my fingers, Regulus stood up and trotted over to me. Lastly, I patted my hip. The pup heeled immediately. I gave the sign for Reggie to sit and he did immediately. "Well, well, you really have been teaching him. Color me impressed, Major."

"Thank you, Merlin. Now what?"

"Now, get your arse to the exam room. It's time for us to really see what you've learned here."

"Bloody Hell." I tilted my head backward and groaned before I looked back down at my dog. "Regulus, Fuss." The dog barked happily as we turned back to the mansion at a jog.

"What the Hell was that?" Abi hissed as the two of us sat down in the chairs in the dorm.

"A Hell test, that's what that was." I groaned, pushing my hand through my hair as Reggie curled up in front of me. "How well do you think you did?"

"I got most of it, I think. You?"

"I'm not sure…" I sighed, rubbing my forehead as the rest of the class walked in with their dogs.

"You lot are here early."

"We always come here," Abi said bluntly. "I'm surprised you aren't in the gym, Wright."

"The fact you aren't in the library is shocking, Bourne." Rebecca Tarth, a Scot just as vicious as the Rottweiler she chose, barked.

"Funny you should say that, Tarth," Merlin said as he stepped into the dorm after everyone else had filed in. Abi and I shot to our feet, Regulus and Lacy heeling immediately as we stood to attention. "Your tests have been scored. You needed a seventy-five percent or higher to pass. Tarth, Wright, you did not hit that mark. Pack your bags."

"But-"

"No. You failed. Pack your bags," Merlin said icily. The two wilted under his gaze but nodded. "There are a pair of cabs upstairs to take you home. If anyone else wishes to quit, now would be the time." No one so much as twitched. "Tarth, Wright? Pack." The two looked at each other and then at the floor. The two nodded, walked to their bunks, collected their few belongings, and left without further ceremony. "Congratulations, you are the top seven. Your next test will be in three weeks: a field exercise. Training will resume at 0800 hours tomorrow. You have the rest of the day to yourselves," Merlin said, nodding as he marched behind the fail-outs.

"Bloody Hell…" Jared muttered as his dog whimpered. He scratched behind the pup's ears comfortingly. "I thought I failed it, too."

"Pussy." Autumn huffed in irritation, her arms crossed under her breasts as Nigel edged on Jared. "That's why you're not going to get the post."

"Watch me, bitch." Jared growled as his bullmastiff's hackles shot up.

"Calm down, Whittaker," Nigel said.

"Well, Abi, I don't know about you but I, for one, don't want to be here when the fight breaks out. Shall we?" I asked as I stared at the arguing idiots balefully.

"Yes, I think we shall." She huffed, throwing her hair over her shoulder as she glared at the idiots. I stood up and opened the door, watching the five remaining debaters as Abi walked through the door.

"Regulus, Fuss." The German Shepherd trotted up to my knee as the two of us and our dogs walked out of the barracks.

"Idiots."

"The lot of them."

"If anyone's going to win, it's going to be me," she smirked.

"Hah, I'm sure you will. Forgive me if I try to win it for myself though."

"Already done. Now are we going to the library or the yard?"

"I thought I'd let you decide this go round."

"How kind of you, Major." She grinned mischievously. "Let's hit the range. My weapon's scores are still lower than I'd like."

"Then let's see if we can get them up."

"In through your nose, out through your mouth. Always check your card." I said, lightly kicking Abi's foot to flatten it to the floor. "Feet shoulder width apart and splayed, Bourne. You should be lying as flat as possible."

"For recoil." She muttered under her breath.

"And stability. When you pull the trigger, do it slowly - but delibrately. It should almost surprise you when the gun goes off."

"When should I shoot?"

"Between your heartbeats if possible or at the bottom of an exhale. Got it?"

"Yes. Range?"

"One kilometer. Fire when ready." I said as Abi's body tensed up even as she exhaled. "Don't be scared of the rifle. Let it do its job, and you do yours. Relax. If you tense up, you'll miss."

"Right," Abi muttered, forcing her body to relax as she stared down her scope. "Firing… Firing… Firing." She said as she exhaled again, this time completely loose as she pulled the trigger. The rifle bucked against her shoulder, but the shot was true.

"Seven centimeters low, nineteen to the left. You forgot to account for windage."

"But the wind's blowing east!"

"Yes it is, right here. Five hundred meters out it back tracks to the west."

"How on Earth can you possibly tell that?"

"The grass."

"The grass?"

"Aye. It's better than a pennant if you're trying to gage windage, honestly. Yeah, a pennant will tell you fast the wind is moving but your target won't have a convenient flag waving behind him."

"Right… So what do you suggest?"

"Read your environment."

"What if I'm on a night mission?"

"Then there will be some sort of ambient light from the moon or you'll be using night vision. Take another shot."

"Aye, sir," Abi said sarcastically, sliding the bolt backward and then back home as she acquired the target again. "Firing. Firing. Firing."

"One centimeter high, five to the right. Better, Bourne. Do it again."

"Firing, firing, firing."

"Dead vertical, two centimeters to the left. Work on your precision. You want a fist sized group no matter what range you're at."

"Why?"

"Aim small, miss small."

"The Hell is that supposed to mean?"

"If you aim for… say the Kingsman logo on one of our shirts, you may be off by a centimeter or two and still hit the target in the heart. If you're just aiming for his chest, well you may miss him entirely. Aim small…"

"Miss small…" Abi said, already looking through the scope again.

"What did you do before you came here?"

"I was a barrister."

"Well that doesn't help me at all." I sighed, shaking my head slightly even as I kicked her foot to make it lay flat again. "Aim for a shirt button, the bridge of someone's glasses, a mole that sticks out, their eye, the space between their eyes. Anything small but repeatable. Repetition is everything here."

"Right." She breathed.

"Fire when ready."

"Firing, firing, firing." She muttered, the recoil making her entire body ripple as the bullet tore through the air and slammed directly into the bull.

"Dead on."

"Firing, firing, firing."

"Two down, three left."

"Firing, firing, firing."

"One down, two left."

"Firing."

"Two down, dead."

"Firing."

"One down, one right."

"Firing."

"Dead on. Last shot."

"Firing."

"Dead, two right. Good show, Bourne." I grinned as she pulled away from the rifle and slid the bolt back, ejecting the brass. "Now police your brass."

"Aye, sir." She gave a one-finger salute as she clambered to her feet, then squatted back down to collect her shell casings.

"So what stuck with you?"

"Aim small, miss small. I imagined there was a fly in the middle of the target and I was trying to kill it."

"Unorthodox but if it works, it works." I shrugged. "Now, strip that down and clean it."

"Right now?"

"Alright, it can wait. But you'll have to clean the assault rifle and pistol when you clean your sniper platform."

"Sounds good to me," Abi said. "What's next? The… Er… L82, right?"

"That piece of shit? No, we're going to be using the Yank's rifle." I said, picking up an M16 from the table and passing it to her. "Her majesty's armed forces are in desperate need of an upgrade. Not that this is it, really, it's just a bit less problematic. This is the M16A4. It's bigger than its cousin the M4A1 but the longer barrel means you can reach out a bit further. It has three functions: safe, semi-automatic, and fully automatic. Effective out to seven hundred fifty meters with a 5.56x45 NATO cartridge, this weapon is designed more for midrange engagements while still being able to clear rooms."

"But why aren't we using the L82?"

"L85, actually, and because even I hate that rifle. I could talk about its issues for hours but that's not why we're here. Take the rifle."

"Aye sir." Abi snarked, picking up the rifle.

"Work from the closest targets outward. You have three shots on each and thirty rounds in the weapon. Fire from whatever position you feel comfortable."

"You're timing me?"

"Of course. As soon as you take your first shot, I'll start the clock."

"Roger that. Okay then… Here we go." Abi murmured as she laid down, knocking the bipod inside the rifle's foregrip down so she had a prop. The rifle popped once and she was off to the races. Seventeen seconds later, she was out of ammo. "How'd I do?"

"Thirty rounds fired, twenty three made contact - that's a seventy seven percent hit rate, in seventeen point three, two, six seconds. Not bad but not terrible either."

"So I just did okay?"

"Essentially."

"Damn it! Let me do it again!"

"Of course, after you calm down."

"I am calm!"

"Are you?"

"I- Er… No. Sorry, Harry." She sighed and closed her eyes, her scowl melting away to a more passive expression. "Right. Let's try that again."

"Okay. What are you doing differently with this rifle than with the Sniper?"

"I-"

"You're rushing," I said when she couldn't come up with a response. "That and you're too tense behind the rifle. You're trying to force the bullet to go where you want it, you can't do that. You're the guiding hand, the rifle is the tool. Let the tool do the work. Also, the secret to becoming a good, fast shot? It's in taking your time."

"That seems rather backward."

"Maybe. Police your brass and then I'll show you just what I mean."

"Bloody Hell." She groaned, taking the broom and dustbin from beside the brass receptacle and swept up the shells. "This is the most tedious part of shooting."

"True, but if you learn to police your brass then you make it that much harder for the people who will want you dead."

"Learn that in Sniper school, did you?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. I elected not to answer as I took the rifle myself. After slamming a magazine home and charging the rifle, I went to the prone position and took aim. "Fire when ready." Abi said. The first trio of shots rang over the field, quickly followed by three more as I opened fire on the next target, then the next, until the last target took a trio at center mass. "Bloody Hell…" She whispered as she read the target map on the stand beside us. "You hit every single one dead in the chest… I thought you aimed for the head."

"A shot to the brainstem will drop someone like a puppet but, in the heat of the moment, the chest is a larger target. Aim small…"

"Miss small." She said, staring over the field as I laid down the rifle and took the broom myself.

"Exactly. Want to try again?"

"Absolutely. How long will it take before I get as good as you?"

"Years." I shrugged. She gawked at me before I explained further. "Ever since I joined the Marines, firearms always interested me. I make a point to spend a few hours at the range every weekend I'm able to."

"Sniper, assault, pistol?"

"Sometimes trap clays if I feel up to it, though I'm afraid I was never any good with them." I scratched the back of my head awkwardly as I admitted that little tidbit. "Rifle was always my favorite."

"I can see why." Abi said as she looked at the M16 sitting on the bench innocently. "I take it you want me to practice with the pistol, now?"

"No. We'll have to go over to the pistol range for that." I smirked, setting the L115 in front of her as I placed the M16 off to the side. "Right now you're going to field strip these, clean them, and put them back together until you can do it blindfolded."

"What!? But that'll take ages!"

"Well then, best get started." I smirked. "You know how to field strip these, yes?"

"Er-"

"No? Alright then, I'll show you once and walk you through it once. Then you're on your own."

"Fair enough…" Abi said as I sat beside her and brought the rifle to me.

"First thing's first, make sure the weapon's clear." I said, dropping the bolt action's magazine and clearing the bolt. The brass from her last shot flew out and landed on the ground beside us. "Better a spent shell than a live round you weren't expecting. It's how people shoot themselves with 'unloaded,' firearms."

"I see."

"Good. Always check your weapon. First four rules of safety?"

"Treat every weapon as if it is loaded. Never point your weapon at anything you do not intend to destroy. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire. Be sure of your target and what's behind it."

"Got it in one." I grinned as she rolled her eyes. "Now, second thing's second…"

"Why can't I bloody hit anything!?" Abi growled as she aimed the pistol downrange and snapped off the final rounds in the magazine.

"Because you're focused on the sights."

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

"It means you're staring at your sights instead of looking past your sights at the target and lining up the shot. Some people will tell you to focus on the front post but that's never worked for me, but it may work for you. Right now though? It's like the yanks say, keep your eye on the ball. Only here you should keep your eyes on the target."

"Okay, okay… Will do, Harry."

"Excellent. And relax. You're too tense. So tense that you're actually jerking the gun a bit to the right every time you pull the trigger."

"Loosen up, got it." She said, slamming another magazine home and sending the slide forward. "Any other advice?"

"Find where the trigger breaks and stay right at the edge of it. You don't want it to go off on you without your knowledge but want to shorten the trigger pull as much as possible. Fire when ready." She nodded and raised the weapon again. Sixteen rounds later, the pistol's slide remained kicked backward as she put it on the counter before her. "Better. Pistol shooting's always a bitch in the beginning."

"It's a bitch in general."

"Aye, it is." I chuckled. "Comes with not having a buttstock and inherent lack of stability."

"Are you going to show me how it's done?"

"No, you have the right form already you just need to work on accuracy. They haven't given us any pistol training yet so we have something to look forward to."

"Yeah, they've spent most of their time teaching us hand to hand."

"You might not always have a weapon but you always-"

"Have your body, aye, I know. Merlin drones on and on about that."

"The man has a point."

"Of course you'd think so." Abi sighed as she reached up to her ears and plucked the plugs out. "Jesus, that's so much better." She groaned as she tilted her head back and forth.

"Aye, they are rather uncomfortable, aren't they?" I asked as I took out my own. They were the electric plugs that, most of the time, remained open but closed when they detected a gunshot. "I bet Reggie and Lacy are ready to get their earmuffs off too." I grinned as I looked down at the snoring German Shepherd and the Gordon Setter curled up in a ball, watching her mistress closely.

"Aye, but your pup sleeps like the dead."

"I'll train him out of that." I sighed. "I'll have to."

"Yes, you will. Lacy?" The black and tan puppy's head shot up as Abi patted her thigh. Lacy shot to her feet and trotted over. Abi took the absurdly large earmuffs off the pup and placed them on the bench beside her while she scratched her down. On the other hand, I had to walk over to my pup and take his earmuffs.

"Regulus?" His eyes opened blearily but his tail thudded against the ground as he saw me. I grinned and scratched his chin. "Hey bud, have a good nap?" His tail thudded even faster as he clambered to his feet. "Good boy. Pass auf und wach." Regulus's ears pricked up as he cocked his head to the side. "Pass auf und wach. Voraus." I said again. He gave a short bark before he trotted away, sniffing the grass in the tell-tale manner that all dogs did.

"You've even taught him a roam command? Bloody Hell, where do you get the time?"

"He's a smart dog." I grinned. "He'll alert us if anyone's watching. Not that I think anyone will but it's good training."

"Yes, right. Time to clean the weapon?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth." I grinned as she rolled her eyes, releasing the slide, pulling it back a touch, pulling down the tabs, then pulling the trigger to release the slide completely.

"Slide, body assembly, spring, spring guide, barrel."

"The five major parts of any semi-auto handgun." I said as I scratched Lacy's ears lazily. Her tail thumped against the ground as her mistress cleaned the barrel with a rag and wire brush. I was about to say something else when Regulus barked three times and came barreling across the field in hot pursuit of something.

"What the bloody Hell is he after?"

"Good question." I said, drawing my own pistol from the holster at my waist as Abi reassembled hers quickly.

"Whatever it is, he's certainly living up to the breed name." Abi chortled as the German Shepherd shepherded his prey toward us. "Lacy, help him. Go." The Gordon Setter barked once and took off like a shot.

"That's something I should probably teach Reggie."

"To help?"

"Yeah, seems like a good idea." I said as the two pups led the poor creature they were chasing toward us.

"Is that-"

"Yeah." I frowned as Owens' cairn terrier ran for its life. "Regulus, to me!" I called. Regulus barked once and broke off the chase as he tore toward me at full tilt, easily overtaking the Terrier.

"Lacy, here!" The Gordon barked too and broke off from the chase but the terrified Cairn Terrier still sprinted toward us.

"Such hier herum, der Mensch!" I called out as Regulus barked once and then shot away, sniffing the air as I scooped up the quivering Terrier. "Hey, it's okay, buddy. Where's Jason, hm? It's okay if you don't know, Reggie will find him soon." The puppy quivered harder in my arms but slowly began to calm down. "Once Reggie finishes his search, let's head back inside."

"Sounds good to me. Merlin's going to want to know about this."

"Yes he will." I grunted as Reggie trotted back over, yipping once. "Good boy, Reggie. Fuss." Reggie heeled immediately as Abi called for Lacy to do the same.

[A] - Long Italics: From Kingsman: The Secret Service.